An absolute banger from Sammo Hung – possibly the greatest distillation of his talents, which manages to successfully balance his customary bawdy humour with an emotional sincerity which is actually affecting, and action scenes which escalate into absolute brutality. Lo Tung (Sammo) and his buddies work as pedicab drivers in 1930s Macau. When they’re not brawling with rival taxi firms or playing idle, they’re oiling their chains for the opposite sex. But womanising brings its own trouble. While Lo Tung competes for the affections of Hsiao-Tsui (Fennie Yuen) – a long-time friend who works as a baker in a cake shop owned by their pervy ‘old master’ Fang (Sun Yueh) – young ‘Malted Candy’ (Max Mok) is falling hard for the mysterious Ping (Nina Li Chi – the future Mrs. Jet Li), who is later reveal to be a sex worker. The double-dating frivolity is cut short when no sooner have ‘Malted Candy’ and Ping tied the knot, pantomime pimp Master 5 (John Shum) calls in his cronies to ruin the happy couple’s happy ending. This is when the film shifts gear and violent retribution ensues, and with Sammo driving the action the final act is hot stuff. Scorching, even. As well as drawing upon an ensemble of his favourite teammates (the whole gang is here: Lam Ching-ying, Corey Yuen, Mang Hoi, Eric Tsang, Dick Wei, Chung Fat, and many more), there is a real ringer in the cast – Lau Kar-leung – who drops by for an incredibly awesome fist-and-pole exchange. This legendary bout between two of Hong Kong cinema’s greatest fight coordinators takes on an almost meta sense of importance, as Sammo’s more brutal, visceral style of pugilism succumbs to Lau’s expansive knowledge of traditional kung fu styles – and the mutual respect they show for each other is palpable. The ferocious climax spotlights the kickboxing talents of Billy Chow (surely Hong Kong’s cinema’s greatest henchman), who turns out to be one of the movie’s greatest assets despite not saying a single word. The ensuing battle is a full contact affair with stunt people being visibly smashed to bits – and it is this tricky alliance between the light and the shade, the cheeky and the just plain offensive, which can strike a discord in Sammo’s work. But when he gets it right, the man is a magician. Here’s further proof of his powers.